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Virginia State Senate District 21
Virginia State Senate District 21 is represented by Angelia Williams Graves (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Virginia state senators represented an average of 216,364 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 200,943 residents.
About the office
Members of the Virginia State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Virginia legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January after the election.
Qualifications
In order to serve in the Virginia General Assembly, candidates must meet the following qualifications:[1]
- Be a citizen of the United States.
- Be at least twenty-one years of age on or before the date of the general or special election for the office sought
- Be a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the year immediately preceding the election
- Be a resident of the district they are seeking to represent
- Be a qualified voter in the district they are seeking to represent
- Not have been convicted of a felony (unless voting rights have been officially restored)
- Not have been adjudicated mentally incompetent (unless voting rights have been officially restored)
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[2] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $18,000/year for senators. $17,640/year for delegates. | $213/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Virginia General Assembly, a special election must be conducted to fill the vacant seat. If the vacancy occurs while the legislature is in session, the presiding officer of the house in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election. If the vacancy occurs while the legislature is in recess, the governor shall call the special election. Within 30 days of a vacancy, the appropriate officeholder shall issue a writ of election. If an vacancy occurs between December 10 and March 1, the writ must declare the special election date be within 30 days of said vacancy. All special elections must be held promptly. However, no special election can be held if it occurs less than 55 days before any statewide primary or general election or if there are fewer than 75 days remaining in the vacated term.[3][4]
See sources: Virginia Code § 24.2-216
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
The Virginia Supreme Court unanimously approved district maps for the Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia State Senate on December 28, 2021.[5] Democratic and Republican consultants submitted statewide map proposals for consideration to the Virginia Redistricting Commission on September 18, 2021.[6] The commission had reviewed earlier maps on August 31, 2021, that were focused solely on suburbs in northern Virginia that were drawn from scratch and did not consider legislative incumbents’ home addresses in keeping with earlier commission decisions.[7][8] After the commission missed its deadline for approving map proposals and the Virginia Supreme Court assumed authority over the process, the two special masters selected by the court released proposals for House and Senate districts on December 8, 2021.[9]These maps took effect for Virginia's 2023 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Virginia work? On November 3, 2020, Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment establishing a commission-driven congressional and state legislative redistricting process. The 16-member commission comprises eight legislators and eight non-legislator members. Leaders of the legislature's two largest political parties select legislators to serve on the commission. The commission's eight citizen members are recommended by legislative leaders and selected by a committee of five retired circuit court judges. The commissioners themselves select one of the eight citizens to serve as chairperson.[10]
District maps are subject to the following consensus requirements:[10]
- Congressional maps: Approval by 12 commissioners, including six legislators and six non-legislators.
- Virginia State Senate: Approval by 12 commissioners, including six legislators (with three state senators) and six non-legislators.
- Virginia House of Delegates: Approval by 12 commissioners, including six legislators (with three state delegates) and six non-legislators.
The commission submits its maps to the General Assembly, which can vote to approve the maps or reject them. The General Assembly cannot amend the maps. If the General Assembly rejects a map, the commission must draft a second map. If the General Assembly rejects that map, the Virginia Supreme Court is tasked with enacting a new map.[10][11]
Virginia State Senate District 21
until January 9, 2024
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Virginia State Senate District 21
starting January 10, 2024
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2023
See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2023
General election
General election for Virginia State Senate District 21
Angelia Williams Graves defeated Giovanni Dolmo in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 21 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Angelia Williams Graves (D) | 77.0 | 28,071 |
| Giovanni Dolmo (Independent) | 21.7 | 7,913 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.2 | 454 | ||
| Total votes: 36,438 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 21
Angelia Williams Graves defeated Andria McClellan in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 21 on June 20, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Angelia Williams Graves | 62.2 | 7,983 |
 | Andria McClellan | 37.8 | 4,846 | |
| Total votes: 12,829 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2019
- See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2019
Elections for the Virginia State Senate took place in 2019. The primary was on June 11, 2019, and the general election was on November 5. The filing deadline for candidates was March 28, 2019.
General election
General election for Virginia State Senate District 21
Incumbent John Edwards defeated Steven Nelson in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 21 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Edwards (D) | 65.5 | 26,877 |
 | Steven Nelson (Independent) | 33.8 | 13,882 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 287 | ||
| Total votes: 41,046 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2015
- See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2015
Elections for the Virginia State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 9, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 26, 2015.[12] Incumbent John S. Edwards was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Nancy Dye was unopposed in the Republican primary. Donald Caldwell (Independent) ran as a third party candidate. Edwards defeated Dye and Caldwell in the general election.[13]
Race snapshot
In the only state Senate district in Southwest Virginia still held by a Democrat, Sen. Edwards fended off two challengers this general election. When Edwards was first elected to the chamber in 1995, four out of the six senators elected to the chamber from Southwest Virginia were Democrats.[14] Because of this trend, Republican groups targeted District 21 as a seat up for grabs. David "Mudcat" Saunders, a Democratic strategist, said on the trend that, "In the far end of the county, you can’t find a Democrat with a search warrant."[14] Edwards won re-election to the district in 2011 by a margin of victory of 12 percent. Edwards' opponents in the election were Republican Nancy Dye, a retired surgeon, and Independent Donald Caldwell, a long-time Democrat, and the longest serving commonwealth’s attorney in Roanoke.[14] Bob Denton, a political analyst and head of Virginia Tech’s communications department, said that Caldwell's candidacy could boost Dye's campaign and provide the GOP with a potential upset.[15]
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Dye raised $541,545, Edwards raised $478,662 and Caldwell raised $61,518 through September. In September, the Republican State Leadership Committee gave Dye a $90,000 check and the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus gave her campaign more than $66,000. Gov. Terry McAuliffe's PAC poured $52,500 into Edwards' campaign in September.[16] As of September 30, 2015, Dye had the lead in the cash-on-hand battle. According to campaign finance reports, Dye had $157,479 in cash-on-hand, while Edwards had $138,848 and Caldwell had $35,280.[17]
2011
- See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2011
Elections for the office of Virginia State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 23, 2011, and a general election on November 8, 2011. Democratic incumbent John Edwards defeated Republican David Nutter in the general election. Edwards was unopposed in the Democratic primary election. Nutter defeated Tripp Godsey in the Republican primary election.[18][19][20]
| Virginia State Senate, District 21 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  John Edwards |
56% | 21,259 | |
| Republican | David Nutter | 44% | 16,728 | |
| Total Votes | 37,987 | |||
| Virginia State Senate Republican Primary, 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| David Nutter |
66.3% | 1,854 |
| Tripp Godsey | 33.7% | 944 |
| Total Votes | 2,798 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2003 to 2023, candidates for Virginia State Senate District 21 raised a total of $3,276,296. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $327,630 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Virginia State Senate District 21 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2023 | $1,156,546 | 3 | $385,515 |
| 2019 | $378,919 | 2 | $189,459 |
| 2011 | $1,517,362 | 3 | $505,787 |
| 2007 | $123,889 | 1 | $123,889 |
| 2003 | $99,580 | 1 | $99,580 |
| Total | $3,276,296 | 10 | $327,630 |
Other election results in district
The map below highlight's this state legislative district and provides election results from the most recent election. Using the dropdown on the left, you can choose to view results for the most recent presidential election or U.S. House district election instead. This will show you the votes cast in this district for that election. The dropdown on the right will let you see either the map colored by the percentage of votes the winning candidate received or let you know the number and type of votes cast by size and shade of the circle in each county.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia General Assembly, "Certificate of Candidate Qualification," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Virginia Law Library, "§ 24.2-216. Filling vacancies in the General Assembly," accessed February 16, 2021 (Statute 24.2-216, Virginia Code)
- ↑ Virginia Law Library, "§ 24.2-682. Times for special elections," accessed February 16, 2021
- ↑ 13News Now, "Virginia has new voting maps after redistricting process finishes," December 30, 2021
- ↑ ABC 7, "Virginia bipartisan redistricting panel starts off with partisan maps," September 20, 2021
- ↑ El Paso Inc., "First redistricting map drafts leave some lawmakers unhappy," September 2, 2021
- ↑ Virginia Mercury, "Virginia’s Redistricting Commission has its first draft maps. They look… normal?" September 2, 2021
- ↑ Associated Press, "Proposed congressional maps give Dems an edge in Virginia," December 9, 2021
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Virginia's Legislative Information System, "HJ 615 Constitutional amendment; Virginia Redistricting Commission (first reference)," accessed November 18, 2020
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Virginia," accessed May 8, 2015
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 General election candidates," accessed August 21, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 The Washington Post, "Defending one of rural Virginia’s last bits of blue," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ roanoke.com, "Don Caldwell enters race against John Edwards, Nancy Dye for Senate," accessed June 18, 2015
- ↑ The Roanoke Times, "Republican groups send cash surge into Nancy Dye's bid to unseat John Edwards," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Public Access Project, "Cash on Hand," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, Official Democratic Primary Results, accessed October 29, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, Official Republican Primary Results, accessed October 29, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, Official General Election Results, accessed October 29, 2013
